Why is my senior cat pooping on the floor at night instead of his box?

It sounds like you have a tough situation on your hands! When a cat who was previously litter trained starts going to the bathroom in the house, it can be a sign of a medical illness. Given that Furble is a senior cat, I would have her seen by a vet for a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis. These test will help identify if there is a medical problem behind this behavior, and can treat her for it. If a medical cause is ruled out, then I would discuss with the vet about using anti-anxiety drugs on Furble. It could be that she is getting very stressed out about the interactions with the new cat and dog, and that's leading her to go to the bathroom everywhere. The vet can prescribe medications for her, and there are a few things you can do at home. You can get Feliway, which is a plug in diffuser that releases pheromones into the home. These pheromones help cats with anxiety. You can can also get her a Sentry calming collar. This collar release pheromones as well when in contact with her skin.

If this is a recent behavior change for Cuddles, the first step would be to have him examined by a vet as soon as you are able to - there are a number of medical problems that can cause accidents outside the litter box, so your vet may recommend basic blood work and other testing to check for any evidence of a problem. If everything comes back normal, then it is likely that the issue is behavioral. Having accidents like this is often a stress or anxiety-related behavior in cats - if there have been any recent changes in the household, such as a new pet or a new baby, a move to a new house, or a guest staying with you, these could all be reasons for him to be pottying in inappropriate places. There may also be something about the litter box that he finds objectionable - he may not like the type of litter provided, or the location of the box. It can sometimes take some detective work to pinpoint the problem in cases like this, so if you're still stumped, I would consider making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist - he/she can meet your cat in person and do an in-depth evaluation to help diagnose the problem and develop a plan to treat it. In the meantime, you can try a Feliway diffuser in the house or a natural calming supplement such as Composure to see if this helps.

Hi there. Yes, you could certainly try leaving the litter box in your attached bathroom so that it's closer and easier for her to get to, as a starting point. But in a cat this age, I would be very suspicious of an underlying medical issue causing this behavior - this can be true even if she appears generally healthy otherwise, on the outside. Possible causes would include hyperthyroidism, a GI problem such as chronic pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease, or arthritis making it difficult or painful for her to get into the litter box when she needs to go. I would recommend a vet visit for a thorough physical exam and some basic lab work to check for these issues. If she has a medical problem of some kind, having it treated appropriately will often resolve the unwanted accidents.

It is always best to have your vet examine your pet if there is a drastic change in behavior. A medical condition should be ruled out before just assuming it is behavioral in origin. If there is no underlying medial problem found then you can assume this is a behavioral issue, in which case, I suggest you start using some Feliway diffusers in your house to help calm him and do some environmental enrichment. ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Why-Use-Feliway/Signs-of-unhappy-cats ) ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-CLASSIC-Diffuser ) ( https://www.thedrakecenter.com/materials/environmental-enrichment-indoor-cats )

If your veterinarian has not done so already, I would ask her to run full bloodwork including thyroid levels to rule out any underlying disease. I would also request a decal analysis to screen for GI parasites.

Have him physically examined by your veterinarian to diagnose injury or infection. Typically, either can be the root cause for a sudden change in behavior. If he gets the "all clear", survey the area in and around the house for any negative stimuli. Reduce or eliminate them if found. Consider using a litterbox attractant to entice him back into the box. Try different types, brands and depths of litter also. He may have a preference. A pheromone product, such as Feliway spray or plug in diffusers, may help to decrease any stress or anxiety in the home.

I'm so sorry that you are having such problems with Kitty. I am imagine how frustrating this is for you. Since these problems started with the move, stress may be playing a role. One option for decreasing stress is to add a Feliway Diffuser ( https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected ) to your house. This is a calming pheromone that will work for a month. I have also had luck with Rescue Remedy ( http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ ) which can be added to the water. Hover, there are a large number of reasons that a cat will inappropriately urinate and defecate (urinate and defecate outside the litter box) and stress may be only one of the reasons. I am attaching a handout below which discusses this in detail. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=633 The first step in figuring out why a cat is urinating outside the litter box is to have your veterinarian do an examination and get a urine sample to evaluate for a medical reason. If that is normal, then we need to look at other possibilities. The handout above discusses litter box issues that can play a role. Make sure you have at least 2 litter boxes (if Kitty is the only cat), they are not covered or lined, and are cleaned daily. You may also want to try products like Cat Attract Litter (https://www.drelseys.com/shop/cat-attract/). If your veterinarian cannot find a medical reason and all litter box issues have been dealt with, then it may be time to discuss medication with your veterinarian. Medications are also discussed in the handout above. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that you can figure out what's going on with Kitty. Thanks for using PetCoach.